Recipe

These potatoes are just about a meal on their own. Serve them with a crispy green salad and a Beaujolais-Villages.

Yield: 4 portions

Ingredients

4 Idaho potatoes (8 ounces each) scrubbed and patted dry

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large cloves garlic, very finely minced

½ cup sour cream

2 ounces Bleu de Bresse or other mild blue cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Prick the potatoes all over with the tines of a fork, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 1¼ hours.

3. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the garlic, and cook over very low heat for 1½ minutes; do not let it brown. Set it aside.

4. Remove the potatoes but leave the oven on. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly. Then cut a lengthwise slit in the top of each potato and carefully remove the pulp, leaving the skin intact. Place the pulp in a mixing bowl, and set the skins aside.

5. Mash the potatoes with a fork. Add the garlic butter, sour cream, cheese, parsley, 1 tablespoon chives, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, and then carefully stuff the mixture back into the potato skins, mounding it slightly. Sprinkle the top lightly with paprika.

6. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons chives and serve immediately.